Marlene Jennings facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marlene Jennings
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| Member of Parliament for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine |
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| In office February 2, 1997 – May 2, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Warren Allmand |
| Succeeded by | Isabelle Morin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 10, 1951 Longueuil, Quebec, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Luciano Del Negro |
| Residence | Montreal |
| Profession | Non-profit executive |
Marlene Jennings (born November 10, 1951) is a former Canadian politician. She was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and served in the House of Commons of Canada. She represented the area of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine from 1997 to 2011.
Jennings was the first Black woman from Quebec to be elected to the Canadian Parliament. She also worked as a lawyer and a senior public servant. She was a Parliamentary Secretary for different government ministers. From 2004 to 2005, she helped the Prime Minister with Canada-U.S. relations.
In 2010, Marlene Jennings became partially blind due to an illness. She used visual aids and a white cane for a while. After seven surgeries, her vision was successfully restored. She was also a member of the Girl Guides of Canada when she was younger.
Early Life and Background
Marlene Jennings was born in Longueuil, Quebec. She went to Lemoyne d'Iberville High School in Longueuil. Her father, Preston Jennings, was an African American from Alabama. He moved to Canada and worked for the CPR railway. Her mother, Gilberte Garand, was from Manitoba and had Belgian and French-Canadian family roots.
Time as a Member of Parliament
Marlene Jennings became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1997. An MP is a person elected to represent a specific area, called a "riding," in the House of Commons of Canada. The House of Commons is where laws are made for Canada.
She took over from Warren Allmand in the newly formed riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine. She was elected five times in this area. Her riding was known as a very safe place for the Liberal Party to win. This means she usually won by a large number of votes.
However, in the 2011 Canadian federal election, she lost her seat. This was part of a big change in Quebec politics, sometimes called the "orange wave." She lost to Isabelle Morin from the NDP party.
Life After Politics
After leaving Parliament, Marlene Jennings considered running in the 2012 Quebec general election. This would have been for provincial politics in Quebec. However, she decided not to run. She explained that she did not have a strong interest in provincial politics.
For about two years, in 2012 and 2013, she worked as the executive director of the Montreal YMHA. This is a non-profit organization. She had let her membership with the Liberal Party of Canada expire, but she rejoined the party in 2014.
